Here’s How to Fix Freezer Burn on Ice Cream Once and For All

Food Shopping and Storing Food Shopping & Storing Here’s How to Fix Freezer Burn on Ice Cream Once and For All No one wants ice crystals to ruin their favorite dessert. Here’s how to stop it. By Betty Gold Betty Gold Betty Gold is the former senior digital food editor at Real Simple. Real Simple’s Editorial Guidelines Updated on July 1, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email We’ve all been there: It’s 90 degrees outside, and you’re dying for something sweet. When you finally get home and eagerly open the freezer to grab your precious pint of ice cream, you see that it is completely covered in ice crystals. You just encountered the dreaded freezer burn. So how do you fix freezer burn on ice cream and prevent it from happening in the first place? We’ve got you covered. How to Fix Freezer Burn The good news is that freezer burn on ice cream is an easy issue to fix (so long as you aren’t making any detrimental freezer mistakes). Since freezer burn isn’t inherently dangerous, wait for the ice cream to melt a little and then remove the crystals with an ice cream scoop before serving. Here’s how to prevent freezer burn in the first place: 01 of 04 Store ice cream upside down. Simply store your partially-melted pint of ice cream upside down. Why? Because freezer burn is caused by water in your melty dessert evaporating and then refreezing on the ice cream’s surface—this causes those unpleasant ice crystals to form.If you store your pint upside down before refreezing, the melted ice cream will drip into the lid and have less of a chance of ruining the “pure” part at the bottom that’s still frozen. Just make sure the top is super snug before you try it. 02 of 04 Keep ice cream in the back of the freezer. Storing ice cream in the back of the freezer is equally important because temperatures further from the door are much more stable over time. The further back the item, the harder it is for room-temperature air to invade (and tamper with) your food. Whatever you do, avoid storing your frozen desserts in the door of your freezer. 03 of 04 Add a piece of parchment paper beneath the lid. If you’re in search of additional ways to prevent freezer burn, you can also try laying a piece of wax or parchment paper flat against your ice cream inside the container. This technique eliminates the extra air space inside the carton, which will make it harder for moisture to evaporate (and unpleasantly refreeze) from the surface of your dessert. Or if you prefer to make your own ice cream, thin, shallow storage containers can keep your homemade treat freezer-burn free for weeks on end. 04 of 04 Keep your freezer at the correct temperature. A solid starting place in the prevention of freezer burn is making sure that your freezer is at the right temperature. Try putting a freezer thermometer inside to make sure it’s actually reading 0 F or below. If it isn’t, we recommend turning down the dial. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit